Well, July is finally over and in that time I reached another milestone! I made it to 150,000 pageviews on my deviantArt and I’m holding a plush giveaway to celebrate :D Stop on over to the dA page to check it out if you haven’t already :D My store also got a small update with just a few plushies last month. I’m hoping this month will allow me to introduce even more!

But anyway, down to plushie business! We have a new pattern that you can earn for the month of August and it’s:
A Neapolitanuki!

I think this guy might actually be my favorite out of the bunch! I mean look at him ^0^ he’s so fat and huggable! This pun is a mix of Neapolitan (the ice cream flavor that’s a collection of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla), and Tanuki, the Japanese raccoon-dog that shows up in lots of fun folklore. So combined we have a deliciously striped little raccoon! I like to think of his magic leaf as a mint leaf to finish off the dessert :3
Assembling this guy is not too bad ^-^ If you’ve made plushies before the body is nothing surprising. The tail might be a little tricky, what with all those curvy stripes. I made sure to put lots of markings on the pattern so you can match up your pieces easily.

★ So how do you get this pattern? ★
If you’re NEW to this site, start off by signing up for email updates between now and August 31st (found in the submission box on the right sidebar above “My Books”). This will earn you the pattern for THIS MONTH ONLY.

★ What if you’re not new to this site? ★
If you’re already signed up for email updates, that’s where the CHALLENGE comes in. You can also earn this pattern if you make one of the projects from this blog, my books, or my Etsy then email me or message the finished project to my Facebook.

★ Also, bonus! ★
For today only I’m offering both this pattern and the one from July when you sign up or send in project photos. After today though, the prize is just this guy :) You’ll have to purchase the older pattern through my Etsy if you’re too late.
So don’t forget to check back next month for a new punny food animal plush pattern, and keep sending me photos of your amazing creations!

I’m pleased to announce that on about a week ago I met another one of my kiriban goals! This time for deviantArt pageviews: 150,000! I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of my amazing deviantArt fans and introduce a new plush line at the same time :D

The winner of this giveaway will get to create a custom steampunk critter plush! It’s the same as many of my other big-headed plush cuties, but this time it’s all decked out in steampunk gear. You have your choice of fabric color, animal, and accessories.

Since the giveaway is due to my kiriban on DeviantArt, I’m actually hosting the giveaway there:) So to get all the details and enter you’ll need to visit my DeviantArt page directly (and make an account if you don’t already have one). I just wanted all of my followers on here to get the heads up as well ^o^ And stay tuned to that page, because once the giveaway is over, I’ll release an EXCLUSIVE coupon code so you can buy a plush for yourself if you like ♥

A few months ago I finally treated myself to a new tablet, which got me curious about designing a new tablet sleeve :D I’ve made them before but I wanted to see if I could do something more tight and compact, but still simple to put together. I really like the result with this one! It’s got some zipper shenanigans, but if you’re okay with that it goes together incredibly fast, probably under 1-2 hours. That’s why I made a whole stack!

They’re padded with quilt batting for extra protection. Mine are lined with polyester lining since that’s what I had on hand, but I bet flannel or fleece would be even better since it would pamper your tablet. The size I have is suited for a 7” tablet, though you could easily enlarge it for a bigger tablet if you know a bit about slashing and spreading.

It was a bit of a pause, but finally we have another installment in the Sew Me! series! Sew Me! Sew & Go is the third book in the series. The first two dealt with complete beginner basics and sewing home décor, while this focuses on useful accessories for organizing and travel, such as totes, tech covers, and other cases. Just like the other books in the series, the projects are perfect for beginners, and make everything super simple to tackle with lots of diagrams, illustrations, and photographs. And there’s even special focus on installing zippers, buttonholes, and snaps.

Finding ways to spruce up classic basics was the most fun in writing this book. For instance, the Tablet Case pattern not only offers lots of applique options for decorating your case how you like, but it also works off the measurements of your own tablet, so you’ll know it fits like a glove no matter what version you have. The Reversible Tote Bag is also a great beginner project, but it works double duty because you can flip it inside out on a whim.

Since it’s specialized, it’s a little shorter at 96 pages and 9 projects, but the price is very affordable. So whether you’re looking to expand your sewing skills or just want a quick and easy way to get a coordinating set of organizers, pouches, and totes, I hope you’ll give my book a closer look! You can see more info on all of the projects on my main book page, or check out where to buy if you’re interested!

June is over and done with, and although it went quickly for me it’s still been fun :D I’ve been preparing a load of new products to reveal in the coming weeks and we’ll likely be having another giveaway! I’m nearly at 150,000 pageviews on deviantArt and I can’t wait to celebrate with some free stuff!

And speaking of free stuff, I have a new plush pattern you can earn this month!
It’s a Dragon Fruit!

I was so excited to get to this month because of this little cutie :D It’s probably one of my favorites out of the collection. The pun of course is based on the Asian fruit that’s beautifully colored pink and green with a white speckled flesh. So together we have a tiny dragon with green wings, spikes, and white horns.

Sewing this guy up is a little more complicated, since there are a lot of details. Between all the spikes, horns, and wings that need to be placed correctly, there’s also the head, which can get misaligned. Not to mention all the French knots that make up the speckles on the horns, but those can be replaced with fabric paint if you like. All in all, basting is your friend here ^-^

★ So how do you get this pattern? ★
If you’re NEW to this site, start off by signing up for email updates between now and July 31st (found in the submission box on the right sidebar above “My Books”). This will earn you the pattern for THIS MONTH ONLY.
If you have trouble signing up, you can check out more info at the main Monthly Crafting Challenge page, the FAQ, or by emailing me.★ What if you’re not new to this site? ★
If you’re already signed up for email updates, that’s where the CHALLENGE comes in. You can also earn this pattern if you make one of the projects from this blog, my books, or my Etsy then email me or message the finished project to my Facebook.★ Also, bonus! ★
For today only I’m offering both this pattern and the one from June when you sign up or send in project photos. After today though, the prize is just this guy :) You’ll have to purchase the older pattern through my Etsy if you’re too late.

So don’t forget to check back next month for a new punny food animal plush pattern, and keep sending me photos of your amazing creations!

I mentioned in the past few months that my cotton stash has gone down quite significantly :D Especially the big pieces – which leaves lots of little scraps leftover. That’s part of the reason why I came up with today’s project. I wanted to revisit the look of the pleated clutch I made a year or so back while still incorporating the scrappy look that my cotton stash is leaning towards.

I made these pouches super-stabilized with some Pellon SF101 interfacing so they’d stand up on their own. I also added contrast corner patches to make the finished product look a bit more put-together. All in all, they were a lot of fun to make ^-^ I wish I could make more in loads more colors.

June is upon us! I can hardly believe it :D Prepping for Metrocon really made the time fly, but I’m super excited for when it arrives. Just so you all know, Metrocon is in Tampa, FL from June 11th-14th (Thursday-Sunday) this year. I’ll be in the Vendors’ Area, booth E11. It’s near the middle, but just a smidge back and to the left. There I’ll have loads of plushies, aviator caps, fleece hats, and hoodies, including some new designs I’ve been working on for the past few months. I hope if you’re in the area you’ll be able to stop by!

Anyhow, on to more pressing, plush-related business! For the month of June there’s a new punny food animal sewing pattern to earn:
A Beary Ice Cream Cone!

This of course is kind of a classic pun: beary = berry. I thought a cute little bear face on top of a waffle cone would be too cute to pass up so I combined the two. It’s that much more fun when you consider all the color combinations available – raspbeary, strawbeary, bluebeary, blackbeary, etc. :D
Overall this one is pretty simple and relatively quick too. The troublesome parts are the ears and the scallop edging, which requires a bit of maneuvering in case you’re not used to it.

★ So how do you get this pattern? ★
If you’re NEW to this site, start off by signing up for email updates between now and June 30th (found in the submission box on the right sidebar above “My Books”). This will earn you the pattern for THIS MONTH ONLY.

★ What if you’re NOT new to this site? ★
If you’re already signed up for email updates, that’s where the CHALLENGE comes in. You can also earn this pattern if you make one of the projects from this blog, my books, or my Etsy then email me or message the finished project to my Facebook.

★ Also, bonus! ★
For today only I’m offering both this pattern and the one from May when you sign up or send in project photos. After today though, the prize is just this guy :) You’ll have to purchase the older pattern through my Etsy if you’re too late.
So don’t forget to check back next month for a new punny food animal plush pattern, and keep sending me photos of your amazing creations!